Portland police officer stops car chase to help duck

A Portland, Ore., police officer in pursuit of a speeding car, put the chase on hold to help a duck in distress.

In a dash-cam video released by the Portland Police Bureau, viewers are treated to what looks like the beginning of an exciting high-speed chase. A car zooms past a hiding police cruiser, and then Officer Mark James begins the pursuit.

But not long into the chase (the video above has been sped up), James sees a duck crossing the busy road. Rather than leave it to fend for itself, he pulls over and guides it to safety.

Another said, "This conversation, in conjunction with the video, make me want to move to Portland. I mean .... nice police officers? It's a utopia!"

But not everyone was convinced the duck was as innocent as it looked. A conspiracy-minded commenter wrote, "What if the guy from that speeding car left ducks on road to distract the police car and run away? :D"